To dig or not to dig???

[dcooper1]

Unfortunately, I didnt take my digital camera with me.? From what I have seen so far, it appears to be concrete, I know for sure that its about 4" thick.? I dug to one of the corners and its fairly square.? From pinpointing the signal with my machine I originally thought it was about 3'X3', but then after finding out that the metal signal didnt start until about 6" from the edge, that would make the lid approximately 4'X4'.? I would say that the next time I dig I would take some pictures but I'm absolutely plan on getting the lid off the next time.? I will take my camera and get some pictures regardless,? well......unless of course its full of........stuff...........

I have been digging for quite a while, I have never gotten such a strong CONSISTENT signal from anything,? and even if it is some metal in the lid, its 16" deep!!!!!? As I said before, it has to be an extremely dense, extremely large, extremely valuable metal ? to be giving such a signal.

On yeah, another question.... If it were an old well, why would they just put a lid on it and cover the area and blend it into the surrounding area with a LOT of dirt Why wouldnt they have just filled it in and been done with it??

 

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[DANNYGEE]

MR C

HOPE YOU DONT MIND ME CALLING YOU MR. C.

YOU CERTAINLY HAVE A DILEMA ON YOUR HANDS.
THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS AS THEY SEEM.
HARD TO EXACTLY VISUALIZE WHAT YOU HAVE THERE.
OF COURSE ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! YES MOST OF THE TIME PEOPLE JUST FILLED THEM IN BUT IT WAS EASIER AND FASTER TO JUST LID IT. WHICH HAPPENED OCCASIONALLY.
OR YOU MAY JUST HAVE SOME KIND OF UNDERGROUND MAUSELEUM WHICH COULD BE HOLDING A VARIETY OF THINGS.
INCLUDING TREASURE!!!!!!!!!

 

[dcooper1]

NO problem, except I'm not into the formality of Mr. - how bout Cooper or Coop

The owner added even more mystery the other day when she said there wasnt ever a house where this thing is located. I guess there is a possibility that the water could have been pumped uphill but its quite a ways from the house, I certainly could have picked a better location to dig a well.....oh, is water actually important??

I really dont want to take the chances as mentioned earlier but I think I may just have to in order to end this mystery.....

 

[DANNYGEE]

COOP

KEEP THE POSTS COMING!!!!
GOTTA LOVE A REAL ADVENTURE!

DANNYGEE

 

[jmginmd]

Coop,

I too am in NoVA. If you need any help or just someone to hunt with let me know. I moved here about 6 months ago and am finding it difficult to get permission to hunt anywhere. Good luck and be careful.

 

[rovnrbl]

Any possibility that's a well for a windmill

to support crops or livestock - old farm maybe? How long's the property owner been on the property - she may not know the history too well.

 

[DigEmAll]

Hey Coop,? you know what they say rolls downhill, right?? If the current owners didn't have the house built, I would be willing to bet that they have no clue what exactly was/is on the property.?

Sometimes the leach field of a septic system isn't by the house.? The septic tank where solids are digested is, but after the tank, the field lines can be a good distance away where the soil perks a little better.? It will consist of a solid line ran out of the septic tank to a distribution box.? The field lines that drain the water off will run from this box.? The distribution box is square and full of water.? Usually it measures 3 to 4 feet square.? The one at my house in Georgia was originally built where I wanted to put a driveway to my workshop.? Instead of moving it and having to dig new lines and such, I had a new cursh proof lid made.? It is a piece of 1/4 inch plate steel on the bottom and four inches of concrete on top with rebar in the middle.? I bet that would blow your ears off.... and it sounds like it would fit the discription.?

To be on the safe side, and save a lot of digging, go to the local well supply store and buy a water test kit.? Drill a 1/4 inch hole in the top and use a long fish tank air line from Walmart to pull some water out and test.? DON'T SUCK IT OUT!!! LOL Push the line into the water and put your thumb over the other end, then pull it out and empty into the test kit. If it test positive for sewage, you have your answer!? If you can still get to the hole in the side where the bricks are, you can do the same thing less the drilled hole.?

Keep us posted!? ?

 

[dcooper1]

Hey guys,
Thanks for more info.? I still haven't dug this thing, with my full-time job, my part time job, and hunting season, I haven't even been out detecting for over a week.?

As far as the owner knowing about the house, she told me that the family of the original owners who had the house built (in 190?) stopped by one day with some pictures of the property/house as it was being built.? She said the entire property was vacant, mostly field.? That was surprising to me because of the areas away from the house where I have found a ton of CW stuff. I was thinking they had been camping just away from the house.? After she told me it was all field I started hunting closer to the house, found some stuff but not as much.?

As far as the posibility of a septic tank.? The "current" septic field is in the back of the house. I guess anything is possible but all the tanks I've ever seen are solid concrete and the lid comes over and fits along the sides to seal it up.? I still cant figure out what the SINGLE layer of bricks (approximatley 6-8" back inside)may have been for.? And.....wouldnt you think that any reinforcement in the lid would have gone all the way to the edges of the lid

As far as the posibility of a livestock waterer, why would they have gone through such trouble to put a lid on it and cover it up and blend the ground in around it - they moved a good bit of dirt!!!!

With the history of the area during the war I would say there are a lot of possibilities for this thing.?

My plan -? When I swoop in to dig I plan on digging all the way down to the original area that I had dug before.? I will attempt to locate the entire perimeter of the lid and remove some dirt just around the perimeter (to allow it to "tilt").? Maybe 6" wide all the way around.? Once I get the area cleared under the lid - remember the lid sticks out about 6-8" past where the bricks start - I will stick my 2-ton floor jack under the lid(with proper 2X8 under the jack and 2X4 on top of the jack) and lift the lid just far enough that I can:
1) use my pinpoint probe to see if the metal is in the lid - in that case I will lower it back down.
2) after securing the lid with more 2X4's, I will use my mirror/light to look in
3) drop a weight on a string to see how deep it is
4) reach in and grab the goodies

I already have my "GO -KIT" ready, complete with jack, 2X's, string/weight, smaller shovel, flashlight, mirror, tarp, dippin' container, camera. It's all in a bag in the back of my truck. Oh yeah, if anyone finds all of these items laying in a pile in a field, you'll know I had to use the bag for something else other than carrying out what I carried in.......you can keep the stuff

 

[DANNYGEE]

hey coop

I like your go kit.
2 things:
1- see if you can bring some pipe with you and after lifting the lid you can place the sections of pipe under and simply roll the lid over to one side.
2- see if you can have someone take pictures of the event as your setting this up and peeking in. even take a video of it.
way cool to post here!!

 

[dcooper1]

The pipe thingie sounds like a good idea however.....I really dont plan on removing the entire lid. I only want to raise it enough to find out what was giving me that incredible signal that far under the ground.

I'm thinking that once I raise it 6-8" I should be able to use my pinpoint probe to tell if its something in the lid or something in the "box".

If this thing is some type of well then the signal must be coming from something in the lid, if its a "treasure box" then the source of the signal should be close to the top. Either way I will take as many pictures as possible. If the signal is NOT in the lid then whatever it is should certainly be within arms reach.

 

[DANNYGEE]

sir coop
what is the status of the mystery well.
we cannot wait much longer.
get it done already the suspense is killing us.

dannygee

 

[MiddenMonster]

I am pretty certain I have come up with a way to get the lid up far enough to see if the "87" signal on my machine is coming from something in the lid or from inside of the "box".? It will take a bit of digging, I'm guestimating this thing is at least 4'X4' and 16inches in the ground, the lid is approximately 4" thick!!. I recently replaced the round lid on top of my well, I could not lift it by myself and it was no where near this size.

I'm not familiar with identifying signals from a metal detector. What does "87" mean? If the signal is coming from the lid I would guess that the source is rebar. A lid that size that isn't reinforced would be prone to breaking.

 

[DANNYGEE]

mm
i believe coop was referring to the meter reading on his machine which corresponds to the target under the loop.
many machines not only identify the target but also give a number id with it.
most precious metals give higher numbers than junk.
maybe that will help.
dg

 

[Colorado Bob]

Yo Coop,
Almost bet that your picking up the rebar in the slab. Almost all concrete slabs are poured over rebar. The rebar is laid out in a crisscross pattern before the pour. It seldom runs all the way to the edges. I know that here where I live, its against county code, to run it to the edge of a pour. It comes in different sizes, like 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4" dia., so there is plenty of metal to make the detector sound off.

 

[gflores71]

Concrete and brick would not get me to excited when it comes to caches, sounds quite modern
not trying to be negative but then again the little experience I have has always been in south america

good luck

gilbert

 

[18VTI]

Hi, I'm a brand new foreign newbie who loves to hear the outcome of this quest?
Hope to read that soon!

 

[DigDaddy]

Hi guys...I too have the same dilemma..I have a treasure chest sitting in my back yard...I'm really concerned how it got there...what is the lid made of?..Should I simply open the SOB?..or lever up the lid a little?...Trouble is,I crave attention..So I'm gonna drag this post out for at least a month..Maybe someone will offer me big bucks to come and help me...I also have this enormous bridge in Brooklyn I'm trying to sell..That will give my life some purpose for at least a year.
If a man really is judged by the company he keeps...The bridge comes with a free detector...I gotta get another hobby.
DigDaddy.

 

[jreamy4]

If it turns out to be a septic tank im gonna vomit

 

[gemee]

update??

 

[tw656]

How about a sledge hammer or rent a jack hammer. Just get the thing open, odds are its nothing worth anything any way.